Bali is a dream destination for Australian and international tourists alike, but a new investigation has revealed that the island’s wildlife entertainment venues are a nightmare for the animals.
A new Holidays that Harm report by global wildlife charity World Animal Protection has found that over 1,300 wild animals, including elephants, orangutan, and dolphins, are being exploited for tourist entertainment in inadequate conditions across Bali and Lombok. The majority of the venues investigated didn’t even meet the basic needs of the wild animals being kept there.
The investigation also found that despite increasing demand for responsible tourism options, many of the world’s largest tourism operators are selling low-welfare wildlife venues in Bali and do not have policies to ensure they are not profiting from animal cruelty at the venues and attractions they sell.
An assessment of 34 venues was conducted, aiming to provide a current picture of the welfare of wildlife in the industry and identify any changes since World Animal Protection’s 2017 assessment of the wildlife entertainment industry in Bali and Lombok. That previous investigation led to major travel companies like Helloworld and Flight Centre removing the venues from their offerings and stopping the promotion and selling of elephant riding overall.
Suzanne Milthorpe, Head of Campaigns at World Animal Protection said:
“What may be an island paradise for tourists is a captive hell for more than a thousand wild animals trapped in shockingly inadequate conditions across wildlife entertainment venues in Bali and Lombok. “People go to these venues because they love animals, but they are unaware of the hidden cruelty behind the scenes, with many animals taken from their mothers as babies and forced to endure cruel and intensive training to make them ‘safe’ to interact with tourists.
“During our investigation we saw wild animals suffering for selfies, and it’s driven by tourist demand and lack of ethical policies by travel companies.
“While we are seeing a global shift in attitudes towards wildlife in entertainment, with most travellers wanting to do the right thing, the complicating factors of over-tourism, misleading conservation claims from venues, and lack of robust travel company policies make it hard for tourists to make a choice that reflects their values. As a good rule of thumb – if you can ride, hug or have a selfie with a wild animal, there is cruelty involved, so don’t do it.
“We urge the tourism industry to take responsibility for the activities they promote, and work with us towards a future where tourism is responsible, sustainable, and does not contribute to wildlife cruelty. Governments must also introduce breeding bans so to ensure the current generation of wild animals in captivity is the last to suffer this fate.”
Tourism is one of the world’s biggest drivers of wildlife exploitation, together we can build back a more responsible tourism industry.
